Chapter 2 – The Empire's Revenge
Even as the rebels were travelling through hyperspace en route to Coruscant, the Imperial leaders were gathering for a meeting in the conference room of the Imperial Palace. The room was occupied mainly by a large, ovular table at which several chairs were set. Most of the chairs were occupied by admirals, generals, warlords, and directors. Some of the chairs projected holograms of officers from off-planet. Each of them wore a different expression, although they all indicated the same emotion; anger.
At the head of the table sat Isanne Isard, the Imperial Director of Intelligence and current leader of Coruscant. A woman in her mid-thirties, Isard had short black hair with white highlights, wore a red officer's uniform, and constantly scrunched her face out of frustration, giving her thin wrinkles and a demonic appearance. She was well-known for her cunning and loyalty to the Empire.
Once all of the officers had been accounted for, Isard stood up and began the meeting. "I have no more patience for formalities, so I'll get straight to the point. The rebels are becoming stronger. They pose a serious immediate threat to us."
"We know what's going on!" interrupted Moff Arndt. "All I want to know is, what are you planning to do about it?"
Isard sneered. "What am I going to do about it? What about you? What have you done? Any of you?"
An admiral stood and pointed at her. "You haven't done anything either! What are you waiting for? You expect the Emperor to return from the grave and take over? I thought you were in charge of defending the Empire!"
"Sit down!" ordered Isard.
"I will not sit down!" stated the admiral. "Sitting down is a sign of doing nothing. I'm going to stand until we accomplish something." All at once, everyone else stood up and began to voice their agreements and protests. The meeting had turned into pandemonium.
Finally, Isard pulled out a blaster pistol and fired three shots into the ceiling to get the officers' attention. As intended, they quieted down, allowing Isard to continue. "We can't argue any longer. We've got to act! Now, sit down, and let's discuss this like the civilized beings we're supposed to be." Everyone slowly sunk into their chairs. "Let's examine this from a tactical perspective. How many systems are in our control?"
"Fourteen," answered the director of security.
"How many are secure? As in, not endangered by the rebels?"
The man hesitated briefly before answering, "Just Coruscant. If, for some reason, the rebels manage to capture this planet, we'll have nowhere else to run. The Empire will fall, unless we agree to surrender."
"You traitor!" exclaimed a woman. "How dare you speak that way!"
Arndt pointed out, "But, let's say, theoretically, that the rebels do take Coruscant. What options have we? Most of our bases have been destroyed. I was lucky to escape from Gederon alive. And what did I manage to save? Nothing! All of my possessions, my money, my troops, everything, gone! I came here thinking I'd be safe."
"We don't care about your losses!" replied the woman. "We've all suffered similarly. But I'm convinced that the rebels will never be able to take Coruscant, not with the defenses we have in place. And, remember, this palace is the key to controlling the planet. We are quite safe here."
Isard agreed, "Our focus should be attempting to reclaim the other star systems to strengthen our defenses."
"And then what?" asked the first admiral. "Do you honestly believe the Empire can ever be as strong without the Emperor? I don't know about you, but I'm beginning to get tired of all this. If we surrender to the rebels, they will probably be open to negotiate–" At that instant, Isard raised her pistol and pointed it at the admiral's head. The man immediately fell silent and instinctively held up his hands in self-defense.
Isard said, "Negotiation and surrender are both out of the question. Does anyone have any ideas that involve neither?"
Arndt stood up and said confidently, "If you ask me, I believe the Rebellion itself is not our main problem. I think the main reason for their success is that they have a strong ally who is responsible for the death of the Emperor, amongst other things. You all know of whom I speak."
"Skywalker," said Isard, speaking the name with distaste. "That Jedi is nothing but trouble to us. You're right, Arndt. Skywalker must fall before we can even hope to destroy the Rebellion. The question is, how?"
Arndt smiled, pleased that Isard agreed with him. "Perhaps we could set a trap. Once he falls into it, the rebels will go packing. And then we will smoke them out of their hiding holes and exterminate them."
"As much as I appreciate your choice of words, Governor," said a young general, "I do not see how one can trap a Jedi. They are much too smart for such simple ruses."
"It can be done. It has been done. The stormtroopers succeeded in killing most of the Jedi at the end of the Clone Wars. Darth Vader captured a Jedi a few years ago. All it takes is the right bait and the right force to counter the Jedi. And we happen to have that bait."
To Arndt's surprise, Isard shook her head. "I know what you're thinking, and I won't allow it. The Emperor himself tried to lure Skywalker here before the Battle of Endor, but the Jedi soon discovered the trap and escaped. What makes you think he will fall for it this time?"
Arndt explained, "Last time, we didn't use such a large force because we had spread the entire fleet throughout the galaxy. Also, the bait got away, I believe, and had to be recaptured. I can arrange everything so that the trap works correctly this time."
Isard thought about it for a moment. "Fine, make your arrangements. But do not proceed until I have approved them." She returned her attention to the rest of the people gathered. "As for the rebels, the only valuable target remaining is Coruscant and this palace. We can logically deduce that they will be attempting an infiltration of some sort. Therefore, we all need to be on high alert. Be on the lookout for suspected rebel sympathizers and fortify all security measures. Signal all of our forces throughout the galaxy that are not preoccupied to gather on Coruscant immediately. If those rebels come, we'll be ready."
Following the conference, Moff Arndt proceeded straight to the dungeons of the Imperial Palace. He had a plan to capture Luke Skywalker, and he wasn't going to wait for Isard's approval to proceed. He knew his plan would work. If the rebels were coming to Coruscant, Skywalker would no doubt be among them. Arndt would reveal the bait, and Skywalker would fall for it, being so close to it. Once the Jedi was inside the palace, he would be trapped. And if he offered any resistance, Arndt would threaten him in a way the likes of which Skywalker had never faced.
Arndt could only imagine the possibilities that would arise from Skywalker's capture. The rebels would crumble upon seeing their greatest asset in chains, and the people of Coruscant would never again challenge the might of the Empire. Also, those loyal to the Empire would honor Arndt for his ingenuity, and possibly want to make him the new ruler of the Empire. Isard would be fuming with anger and envy. What a vision!
When he arrived at the detention area, Arndt input a security code with handprint recognition to gain entry. Once the computer was satisfied that he had authorized access, the doors slid apart and Arndt strode into the cell block. Over a hundred criminals and fugitives were being imprisoned in the Imperial Palace, but there was only one whom Arndt cared about.
He entered one of the cells and observed the unconscious figure suspended in a movement-restricting energy field. He used a computer console to generate electronic pulses designed to awaken the prisoner. Once the person had recovered from the shock, Arndt smiled upon seeing the expression of torture and despair that had been carved into the prisoner's face. He said, "Rise and shine. Your big day has finally come."
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